Day 5! We’re nearing the halfway point of the beer exchange, which means we’re also inching ever closer to being halfway through Blogmas. (I realize I’m still three days away but… it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s totally fine. Haha.) As I mentioned in the Day 4 post, I finally decorated for the holidays and I really am beginning to feel festive. (It didn’t hurt that in the barre class I took yesterday morning had some solid Christmas music sprinkled throughout the playlist as well…)
Anyway, we are going a bit back in time here because it was on the day that I posted about Beer 4, that I drank… Beer 5.
Look, we all knew it was coming. 5 days in, and we finally hit it. Our first IPA.
Banded Peak Brewing‘s Southern Aspect India Pale Ale, if you want to be specific. (Let me just say that I am obsessed with their Plainsbreaker Hopped Wheat Ale.)
The internet tells me that this is a West Coast IPA, and I could pretend I know what that means but I’m not an IPA expert. (The internet tells me that they are dry and bitter. Suddenly I understand why I prefer Hazy IPAs or NEIPAs.) I will say that the ABV is 7.1% and the IBU is 70, so this beer is intense.
It paired super well with the goldfish crackers I snacked on while drinking it, but I can only drink one Southern Aspect per day. It does have some pretty incredible copy, though:
Throughout the winter, southern aspects on mountainous slopes can present uncertain and variable conditions. It also leads to epic lines on bluebird days for those willing to take the risk. This beer was born out of taking risks and chasing adventure.
Banded Peak Brewing
Finally, I have to wrap this post up by asking an age-old beer drinker question – do you like IPAs?